Among many items offered in the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) online store is this T-shirt with the message, ?I had an abortion.? This shirt was not created by PPFA, but we do offer it in our store.

The T-shirt delivers a message that is intended to confront and subvert the sense of shame surrounding abortion that has been so deliberately created by the anti-choice movement. "I had an abortion" is a statement that breaks a silence, and not a cavalier declaration.

One in three women will have an abortion by the time they are 45, yet abortion remains an unspoken reality in our society. For some women the choice to terminate a pregnancy is a decision they wish to keep private, while others want to share their experiences in order to let other women know that there is nothing shameful about exercising the right to choose abortion. The T-shirt is thus a way for women to take ownership of their personal experiences and to communicate their stories. We believe it is particularly important to help women do so now in the current political climate, when reproductive rights are under unprecedented attack and honest, open discourse is so desperately needed.